Douglas Burke is the son of murdered supermodel Christine Sandler.
History[]
Douglas’ family was broken, as his father, rock musician Jimmy Burke, beat Christine and made her drink and take drugs in excess with him. Burke divorced her when she went into her 40s, and she went into rehab, while Burke’s career fell through and he also needed smaller gigs. Douglas chose to be under Burke’s custody, but as an adult, he found Christine and wanted a mother-son relationship with her. He also was the liaison between his parents when Burke wanted some charity from Christine when he struggled with work.
Christine was killed on her 50th birthday, which she invited Douglas to, as she also wanted to get closer to him. He was shaken by hearing she died and baffled as to why someone would kill her. He himself was a suspect when blood at the scene was a familial match, but he refused a sample and insisted on a lawyer. He didn’t match the sample, as Christine’s estranged daughter, Sonja Harlann, was the killer. Sonja lost it when Christine refused an affidavit that she conceived Sonja with tycoon Harold Lancer so Sonja could inherit, emphasizing Christine was preparing for her party and to meet Douglas there instead of her.
After Sonja took a plea, she succeeded in her inheritance claim, but the prosecution prepared trial materials for Douglas, in the interest of him suing Sonja for killing his mother. (L&O: “Past Imperfect”)